Sadie Stein

Austin is a 15-year-old nerd who loves politics and history. He also hasn't exactly had his growth spurt. But he's adorable! And speaking as a former high-school nerd, I would have totally had a crush on him...before MTV made him into a "ladies' man."

Now, to her credit, his "Made" coach, Abiola, seems to actually like his personality and respect his interests in current events and history — her focus is on raising his confidence. And by the end, he's both more self-assured and has a nice date with a lovely girl who respects his ambition to be President. I was relieved, since sometimes they seem to tone down the "nerd" a little too much.

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But even though this story has a happy ending, I just wanted to tell all you nerds out there: it does get better, whether or not you have MTV follow you with a camera and send you to a personal trainer. And what's more, the geeky boys were always the ones I secretly liked — and I'm guessing I wasn't the only one, and that there are girls like me at his school, too. You don't need to be "Made" into a Ladies' Man — being a 15-year-old who likes politics is enough for plenty of us.